Headphones

OverclockN'

OverclockN'

Well-known member
In the market for good headphones. More about great audio quality (with some bass) than the gaming oriented headphones I always see in bright colors with mics. I don't need a microphone. Not sure on the budget yet, but I wouldn't be opposed to spending around $200 if it's VERY good. Would be willing to buy an additional DAC or whatever else is needed to improve audio quality as well.

After reading a handful of reviews, it seems the open back once are always rated as better audio quality, but I'm not sure they'll be right for what I need. My bro just retired from the Air Force and is living with me the next couple years while he refreshes his skills with some college courses. The wood floors in my house carry audio easily. I just simply don't want to hear his stuff. I don't think I need to go as far as noise cancelling, but I'd think an open back design would bleed too much outside noise through.

Here are a couple I was thinking about, both highly rated from RTings. I don't really have a place to start, so I started there. I'm open to and appreciate any thoughts and education on it, since I don't know jack about headphones or DACs, etc.

Just not sure if open-back would bleed too much audio in. My brother isn't unreasonable, so it's not like his stuff is going to be crazy loud. It's just the wood floors carry audio, and I can only ask him to turn it down so much to be fair.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x

BeyerDynamic DT770 Pro

Sennheiser HD800S
 
I have the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs (250 ohms). They are paired with the Sound Blaster G6 external DAC. I think they sound great: best headphones I've ever used. They are comfy, too. I kept the velour on the ear cups.

I ran an Antlion mod mic through the headphone cord and coupled it with plastic clips (I think they came with the mic). The magnetic mic harness is attached to the side of the left ear cup. It's like a headset connection. Works very well.

Edit: I tried an open-back set but the outside noise diminished the immersion for me.
 
mizzer said:
I have the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PROs (250 ohms). They are paired with the Sound Blaster G6 external DAC. I think they sound great: best headphones I've ever used. They are comfy, too. I kept the velour on the ear cups.

I ran an Antlion mod mic through the headphone cord and coupled it with plastic clips (I think they came with the mic). The magnetic mic harness is attached to the side of the left ear cup. It's like a headset connection. Works very well.

Edit: I tried an open-back set but the outside noise diminished the immersion for me.
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I second all of this. I love my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Studio Pros (250 ohms) so much that when I picked up another set of headphones I grabbed the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pros (basically just the open backed version of the 770's). They're both absolutely wonderful when paired with a decent DAC/AMP.

Beyerdynamic all the way. :drool:
 
Thanks guys!!

You've used the BeyerDynamic for several hours with no issues on how tight they were fitting?
 
OverclockN' said:
Thanks guys!!

You've used the BeyerDynamic for several hours with no issues on how tight they were fitting?
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I prefer both BTs to my Senns for long duration wear. I have a set of Senns for gaming and after an hour or so the squeeze starts to really set in. I know over time they'll loosen up but I haven't managed that yet. For reference, it's the Senn PC38X I think.

But the BTs I use all day for conference calls, listening to music, and gaming on the PC and I can say that after wearing them for sometimes 4-8 hours straight I have noticed practically zero discomfort. I absolutely prefer the way these fit to my Senns or anything else I've used. I have a set of Sony WH-1000XM3s that I use for travel and even those hurt my head after a few hours.
 
Wonder if we could just set the Senn's or Beyer's on something to spread the earphones and leave it there for a while if it would loosen them up rather than wearing them and doing it slowly (and painfully) over time.
 
OverclockN' said:
Wonder if we could just set the Senn's or Beyer's on something to spread the earphones and leave it there for a while if it would loosen them up rather than wearing them and doing it slowly (and painfully) over time.
Click to expand...

I've been told that this would help the Senns headset feel better. I might do that eventually but for now I don't really do any console gaming long enough that it bugs me enough to be bothered with it. But the BTs, I don't know that I need to set them on anything to loosen them up, in my personal opinion they're both 100% fine as they are. No fitment adjustments needed here.
 
OverclockN' said:
Thanks guys!!

You've used the BeyerDynamic for several hours with no issues on how tight they were fitting?
Click to expand...

I don't get the "fits tight" knock against them. I have a big head and I can wear these for several hours without discomfort.
 
Go with the Sennheiser HD560S.

Beyer, and Sennheiser have been pretty reliant on re-using old drivers from the 90s. Most of your new Sennheiser stuff came from the HD600 from '94. The 560S was really their first 'new' driver design in about 10 years. There was speculation this same driver was to come out for 700s, and 800s new lineup aswell, but then Sennheiser was bought out by Sonova (they make inner ear sound devices for deaf/hard hearing people). So now those rumors have pretty much vanished.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/t...er-hd-800-s/18492/290?usage=19&threshold=0.10

I can bla, bla, all day about them, but they are _the_ best neutral sounding headphone. Just look up some popular YT videos on it, when they first came out they basically blew up everyone's 'suggested' list. Why buy $1800 800 S when you can get the same sound, with better bass response for $200?

Here I did some very little legwork.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np6KjAAT98A&t=389s

EDIT**** Also, I really suggests trying the Logitech Lightspeed 535. I was blown away how good it was for how cheap it is. And god it's the most comfortable headset I've ever worn. It's a very new design, and is Logitech's best headphone. (despite the value/series number, it's the best rated, and has twice the battery life of others in lineup). I really suggest giving them a try. Just return them if you don't like, but I'd be willing to bet you wont.

https://www.rtings.com/headphones/t...-dt-770-pro/30952/440?usage=19&threshold=0.10
 
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I'm not sure that open back headphones would be a great option for what I'm trying to solve. I've never actually used them, but I'm concerned about the outside sounds/audio bleeding in. Otherwise, I'd just keep using my speakers.
 
Have you ever used closed back? Hot ears / ear sweat is not enjoyable.

Plus closed back significantly narrows the soundstage which is pretty important when gaming.

I'd never go closed back on a PC again. Maybe console, where it's short term gaming, but nothing long session.

Open doesn't really allow alot of sound in, it's more about how it defines the soundstage, and what sound bleed comes out. I have 3 kids, and a wife, and I use open back fine.
 
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Can't say I agree with open-back not allowing sound in. That's kind of the point and why open-back builds such a "spacious" soundstage. Unless your brother is banging pots upstairs, I don't think it'll be too much of an issue, but if you really want to cancel out as much ambient noise then closed-back is the go-to. There are comfy closed-back on the market, so not every pair will make your ears sweat.

I disagree with the HD560S over the HD800 as well, but I've never tested the HD560S. Imo, they're two totally different realms of cans. Drivers made today are not necessarily any better than drivers made two decades ago, either. You don't change what isn't broken, and Sennheiser's ability to deliver neutral sounds has been the benchmark for years if you're seeking neutrality.

If you want closed-back, I'd check out BeyerDynamic, but be careful what you buy as the high ohm cans will require amplification. They're also the best in terms of bass delivery without being obnoxious like stupid brands such as Beats. Metal sounds phenomenal on my Beyer's.. I have never had a pair of headphones that satisfied me when it came to my preferred genre of music until I bought a set of Beyer.

I have a pair of DT1990s and I love them, but they can get a bit uncomfortable after a while. They're a bit heavy, but they sound phenomenal and gaming is a treat. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the DT770 or 990.
 
Um, I rock a pair of Hifiman HE-5XX open backs planar magnetic headpones. Absolutely LOVE em...but they are so open, I can hold a conversation at normal talking levels without taking them off. I can't speak for other open backs, but that experience has me thinking that if you trying to block out the background abit... I'd avoid open back and go closed back.
 
Out of those options I'd go the DT770's.

FWIW I prefer closed back headphones but YMMV.
 
Nunz said:
Can't say I agree with open-back not allowing sound in. That's kind of the point and why open-back builds such a "spacious" soundstage. Unless your brother is banging pots upstairs, I don't think it'll be too much of an issue, but if you really want to cancel out as much ambient noise then closed-back is the go-to. There are comfy closed-back on the market, so not every pair will make your ears sweat.

I disagree with the HD560S over the HD800 as well, but I've never tested the HD560S. Imo, they're two totally different realms of cans. Drivers made today are not necessarily any better than drivers made two decades ago, either. You don't change what isn't broken, and Sennheiser's ability to deliver neutral sounds has been the benchmark for years if you're seeking neutrality.

If you want closed-back, I'd check out BeyerDynamic, but be careful what you buy as the high ohm cans will require amplification. They're also the best in terms of bass delivery without being obnoxious like stupid brands such as Beats. Metal sounds phenomenal on my Beyer's.. I have never had a pair of headphones that satisfied me when it came to my preferred genre of music until I bought a set of Beyer.

I have a pair of DT1990s and I love them, but they can get a bit uncomfortable after a while. They're a bit heavy, but they sound phenomenal and gaming is a treat. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the DT770 or 990.
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I didn't say it doesn't allow sound in. I guess I should have speficied that what sound does come in is pretty easily drowned out by the sound from the headphones.

Anytime my wife tries to talk to me, I have to take mine off, because I can't hear her.
 
I'd be willing to give open back a try, especially since I prefer a very wide sound field. Do they have much bass?

Will likely order through Amazon so I can have simple returns if it doesn't work out.

I'll need to do more research before deciding. I see 50ohm, 250ohm, etc. Don't know which is better or at what point I'd need an external DAC or other device. Starting out from scratch here on a new field.


Edit: This was posted in the BeyerDynamic 770 review on RTings. Gives me a rough idea why an amp would be needed.

" A user asked if it's normal to experience a difference in sound quality when using a smartphone versus using an amp. We tried using these headphones on an Android phone and noticed that they lacked a lot of bass. However, this is to be expected. A smartphone can't produce the power needed by the headphones' drivers to give you a better bass performance. If you want the best sound quality possible, you must use a dedicated headphone amp with these over-ears, even if it's not the same as ours, as an amp can provide enough power for their drivers. There has been no change in our review."
 
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The higher the ohm, the more power they will require. More ohm does not correlate with sound quality, though.

DAC and Ohm are not related. Your DAC is basically what's converting the signal, so a higher quality DAC will supply cleaner, more accurate signal. Amplification will raise the volume and allow the drivers to really separate the lows, mids, and highs.

If you don't want to buy an amp, look for a lower Ohm pair of headphones. I would recommend a DAC and not using onboard audio, but I'm sure some will disagree on that. I'm an audio purist and prefer an unaltered sound.
 
Budget is flexible, and I'd like the cleanest sound possible with a good pair of headphones.

I don't mind buying a DAC and Amp to get that.
 
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